Today’s after work session:
10min warm up = 2688m / 1:52.0 / 24
8 x 500m / 3:30 rest:
1:32.3 / 35
1:32.3 / 34
1:32.4 / 35
1:32.4 / 36
1:32.3 / 36
1:32.4 / 36
1:32.4 / 36
1:30.0 / 39
Ave: 4k = 12:16.3 / 1:32.0 / 35
Total active rest = 3928m
My lack of speed work over the past few weeks (except for the single pieces at “race pace”) really showed today. I thought it felt hard early in the session hence not negative splitting. But then the odd rep felt pretty easy, so I thought I’d try pushing the final rep more. That rep didn’t feel any harder than the preceeding rep, and I finished feeling better than I did half way through the session, and like I could carry on with another rep or two. Unfortunately I didn’t go fast enough early enough to get the final rep under 1:30.
Rating is definitely going to be the key for me when it comes to my next 2k, as aerobically the reps at 35/36 felt fine, and even the final rep at 39spm didn’t push my breathing too much.
How does everyone else row these short rep sessions? I pretty much always row them the same – first 5 strokes hard, next 5 easing pressure off down to target pace, then counting 20 strokes twice. For these reps this would generally get to me 250m in each rep at 1:32.0 average, so I then pull around equal 1:32′s and 1:33′s for the remaining distance. I also always row the active recovery the same timing it to take a catch at 19, 16, 13, 10, 7 and 4 seconds to go all nice and light, then a full pressure catch on 1sec to go and into the rep.
